Long Way Down
by lea.cielo
Summary: ‘Everything happens eventually. You just gotta be ready for it…’


Title: Long Way Down

Author:

Rating: T

Summary: 'Everything happens eventually. You just gotta be ready for it…'

Author's Note: I had a vision for this fic so I decided to give it a try… I'm hoping it turned out well, that you'll enjoy in it. So enjoy and don't forget to feed my ego… :)

Disclaimer: Nope! Not mine… Sad but true… :(

* * *

~ Long Way Down ~

Her hand kept his cold one warm. He gently traced invisible patterns on her palm with his thumb. She was ticklish on the inside of her wrist. He loved how he can make her giggle.

* * *

"I'm in love with Booth…", she let out a defeated exhale as she gazed at her best friend.

Angela rolled her eyes and observed slumbered form of the most famous forensic anthropologist. And the final invisible layer fell down, stone heavy for her and feather like for Angela, right onto the doormat and beside Angela's bare feet.

Door opened widely, letting the warm air to creep out into the cold hallway.

"Come in, sweetie…" Angela's soothing voice had an effect on her racing heart. She walked pass her, entering the only place that right now could provide her peace and reassurance that everything will be fine.

Angela gently closed the front door, making sure not to wake her neighbors, and turned around to her best friend wearing the widest grin on her face.

"Finally!"

* * *

He glanced at her snow covered hat that was one size bigger than her head and constantly kept falling over her eyes. And she constantly, kept pushing it up. She never looked cuter.

* * *

Secret glances over the rim of the coffee cup, gentle brushing of fingers when she's handling him the case-file, accidental bumping into him whenever she gets a chance and a need to impress him became her daily routine, without her even realizing it.

She was going through some files on couch in her office when a take-out coffee appeared in front of her. Delicious aroma tickled her senses. She turned around and saw a smiling face of her partner.

"Though you might need some break…" He rounded the couch before throwing himself on it, making her files along with her to jump. Shifting closer he clinked his coffee against hers, gaining one silent chuckle from her.

"To crime fighters!"

* * *

She made a huge mistake when she put on this thin coat. Well, she didn't actually think they'll be walking down the streets in search of warm apple pie on Saturday eve.

So she moved closer to him, shielding herself from coldness and snow. He broke their hold and enveloped his left arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. She pushed her hand inside of his pocket, something she started doing lately and let him guide them in search of warm apple pie.

* * *

Nothing in this world could replace that feeling of emptiness when she saw him kissing that marine biologist in front of the restaurant. She was on her way to her dad's place, stopping only to buy glazed doughnuts Max like so much.

Stopping dead in her track she fought hard to breathe. The scene in front of her was a brutal impact at everything she believed in. Everything collapsed within few seconds, including her self-esteem.

One quick phone call to her dad later, saying that job got in the way, and she was back at her apartment to grieve in her own way. The only way she knew. Way too much work and too little sleep.

* * *

Smile on his face was priceless when the clerk handed them wrapped piece of pie over the counter. She rolled her eyes at him. Sometimes he was just like a small child.

* * *

Days turned into torturous weeks and while the relationship between Booth and Catherine blossomed, she tried to deal with the facts and to move on as peacefully as she could without changing things in their partnership.

That went pretty well until that disturbing phone-call.

15 minutes of frantic drive and the next thing she knew she was in van watching FBI wiring Booth. And Catherine was there too.

Apparently, Booth's former army buddy had a break-down and locked himself in a building of the insurance company altogether with twenty hostages. And a shotgun. And explosive. And the only person he wanted to talk to was Booth, 'his FBI friend', asking of him to explain to these dumb-asses how he deserves insurance money. For the love of God, he was in a war!! So Booth was coming in to knock some sense into him.

Kiss from Catherine and the tightest hug from Brennan was everything he needed before he left.

It took him ten minutes to set 19 hostages free. Director had to stay along with Booth. And that's when the yelling started. Brennan was glued to the speaker, half trembling, while Catherine left, too shaken to listen that whole thing.

Booth yelled.

One shot.

Ear piercing explosion.

Brennan jumped out of the van and started frantically to move through the crowd in his direction, searching the smallest hint of Booth's form in the flaming and smoking building. She was stopped by the police officer. Kicking and screaming didn't help. Her strength finally gave up on her and she collapsed in the arms of the officer. But as she was slowly falling apart in a corner of her left eye she caught movements in the flaming environment in front of her.

And that's when she saw him. With ripped clothes and tousled hair but safe and sound after all.

So she pushed officer in charge and ran. Right into his arms. She clutched to him like he was the last thing to keep her breathe.

"Oh, thank God!", she whispered into his ear, her tears washing the dirt from his neck. "You're alive…"

He kept her close to him, feeling her heart beating like crazy, whispering words of reassurance into her hair.

Upset Catherine screamed his name and he had to let her go. Catherine's tears mixed with Brennan's as he held his girlfriend in his arms. When he looked up she wasn't there anymore. He looked at every face in the crowd but apparently hers wasn't there.

* * *

He saw rolling of her eyes at him, so he grabbed the pie from the counter and pulled her back in the direction of his apartment. Sometimes she just acts like a little kid.

So that makes them two little kids. Two little kids in love.

* * *

She opened door to find him standing there, quizzical look on his face.

"Hi…" And she wore confused one. "Come in…" She tried to sound relaxed as possible as she opened door wider to let him into her place.

He entered inside, making small steps in the process, stopping somewhere in the middle of her hallway.

Long lingering from both, his and her, side.

"I, ummm…" He turned to look at her, pausing for a second to wait for her to close the door. "I broke up with Catherine."

"You did?" She narrowed her brows. This information took her completely by surprise. "But I thought you and Catherine had a good thing going on…"

He licked his lips and moved closer to her. "Yeah, I thought we're on a good way to became something more serious but…" He observed the way she was leaned against the wall beside front door. Trying to look relaxed but he knew her way too well. Complete insecurity. That's the state of her mind right now. "…but there's this thing that would follow us no matter what step we make. Because of that thing we don't have a future…"

"What thing?" Her eyes gazed into his and she didn't notice that she's being trapped between the wall and him.

"I'm in love with you…" And with that he closed that small distance between them, desperately trying to steal one of those breath taking kisses from her. Gentle touch against his face and a loosened way her body arched against his told him he's on a good way to accomplish that.

* * *

Six months, two major fights, endless smiles and tears later the feelings were still the same. Enormous love and respect.

They stopped at the traffic light. He turned to her. She looked incredibly beautiful even on this weather. Nose and cheeks red from coldness. Snow was still falling, one snowflake landing on her eyelash, other on her lips. He leaned in warming her pale lips with his own.

"Now your lips match your cheeks and nose…" She smiled at his foolish excuse. He grabbed her hand in his and pulled her across the street, grateful that her hand kept his cold one warm. He gently traced invisible patterns on her palm with his thumb. She was ticklish on the inside of her wrist.

He loved how he can make her giggle.

- ThE eNd -


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